Solo Tone
Sultans of Swing
Dire Straits
Guitarrock1970s
Original Gear
Guitar1971 Fender Stratocaster (maple neck, stock single-coil pickups)
AmpFender Vibrolux Reverb (silverface, late 1960s/early 1970s model)
PickupsFender single-coil (stock 1971 Stratocaster)
Amp Settings
gain2.5
bass6
mid6
treble7.5
reverb3
presence5
Effects & Signal Chain
compressionDan Armstrong Dan Armstrong Orange Squeezer
Notes
Studio recording, 1978. Used for the original Dire Straits debut album version. No evidence of live/tour pedalboard effects on the studio recording. Compressor pedal likely used. Pickup selector in position 2 (bridge + middle).
Tone Character(10)
clean yet slightly edgywarm and smoothbright and articulatetouch-sensitivecrisp attackslightly compressedsinging sustaindynamic responsepercussive fingerstyleclear note separation
Difficulty
The solo requires advanced fingerstyle technique, precise articulation, and dynamic control, making it challenging for most players despite moderate tempo.
Sources
This tone has been researched 27 times by the community
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Create Free AccountGuitarrock1970s
Original Gear
Guitar1971 Fender Stratocaster (maple neck, stock single-coil pickups)
AmpFender Vibrolux Reverb (silverface, late 1960s/early 1970s model)
PickupsFender single-coil (stock 1971 Stratocaster)
Amp Settings
gain2.5
bass6
mid6
treble7.5
reverb3
presence5
Effects & Signal Chain
compressionDan Armstrong Dan Armstrong Orange Squeezer
This tone has been researched 27 times by the community
Notes
Studio recording, 1978. Used for the original Dire Straits debut album version. No evidence of live/tour pedalboard effects on the studio recording. Compressor pedal likely used. Pickup selector in position 2 (bridge + middle).
Tone Character(10)
clean yet slightly edgywarm and smoothbright and articulatetouch-sensitivecrisp attackslightly compressedsinging sustaindynamic responsepercussive fingerstyleclear note separation
Difficulty
The solo requires advanced fingerstyle technique, precise articulation, and dynamic control, making it challenging for most players despite moderate tempo.
Sultans of Swing settings for your amp
Exact settings ToneAdapt players use on these amps.
- Sultans of Swing on Fender Mustang LT25
- Sultans of Swing on Boss Katana
- Sultans of Swing on Fender Frontman 10G
- Sultans of Swing on Fender Champion 20
- Sultans of Swing on Boss Katana 50 Gen 3
- Sultans of Swing on Boss Katana 50 MkII
- Sultans of Swing on Fender Frontman 15G
- Sultans of Swing on Line 6 Helix Floor / LT / Rack
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